Why Don’t Most Pinoys Believe in Sending their Parents to Nursing Homes
If you know Filipinos, or Pinoys, you will know that they do not usually send their parents to nursing homes. They would rather take care of their parents themselves. If they have the money to pay for a caregiver, they would prefer someone who can take care of their parents in their own homes. Tightly knit and sometimes dependent on each other, the members of a Filipino family would rather work extra long hours to care for an elderly parent than have him or her live in a nursing home. The setup if viewed by someone outside the structure could be seen as financially impractical but for Filipinos, it is considered culturally ingrained. Pinoys value friendships. So, they should value their families more. In fact, Pinoys are very respectful and protective of their families.
Family Ties and the Parental Image
In a Filipino family, the parents provide shelter, food and clothing. If they can afford it, they also provide education. The parents do their best to raise their children, whatever their status in life is like. So, children feel it their responsibility to repay the care given to them by their parents by personally caring for them when they are old and helpless. The rare number of Pinoys who would resort to sending their parents to nursing homes are often the ones left to nannies when growing up. Of course, these are also the Filipinos who could afford to send their parents to a nursing home, in the first place. Even those who have been practically raised by their nannies would still want to see their parents close at hand.
The Filipino Caregiver
Filipinos have become known worldwide as caregivers and nurses. The nursing profession has experienced a boom in the Philippines. Filipinos have become in demand as caregivers in nursing homes outside of their native country. If Filipinos can care for other people, why can’t they take care of their own parents? Filipinos still feel that their responsibilities to their parents are not limited to the financial but also encompass the emotional and the moral.
Related Questions:
1. What is the biggest reason behind Filipino families not sending their parents to nursing homes?
2. If given enough money, will Filipinos send their parents to nursing homes?
3. Is there a connection between the fact that many Filipinos are working as caregivers abroad and their reluctance to send their parents to nursing homes?